Uncle Eddie’s Vegan Cookies

What constitutes a really great cookie?  Opinions differ but in my mind, a really good cookie can be soft or crunchy on the outside, moist and chewy on the inside, with a sweet and decadent flavor.  In other words – a truly awesomet cookie has to have both texture and taste, whether the flavor is chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal, cocoa, or molasses.

Traditional cookies made with lots of butter and eggs pretty much hit the mark every time but not everyone wants to eat cookies made with animal products. Nor, do they want to eat cookies with artificial flavors, colors, or ingredients they never heard of. So, the question becomes: Is there a really good ready-made plant-based cookie out there?

Really good vegan cookies – meaning cookies made without animal products so no dairy or eggs – have only recently become available after some savvy and creative minds realized that a truly delicious cookie made with wholesome plant-based ingredients is possible (note: some people will argue that sugar in any form but naturally derived from fruit is not wholesome and they make a really good point to which I can only say:  cookies are meant to be sweet treats enjoyed on occasion). All they had to do was rethink the ingredients.

In Glendale, California, a small family-owned and operated bakery called International Desserts and Delicacies makes cookies that taste just like the kind your mother or grandmother made – soft, chewy, and delicious – but without the animal products.  How do they do it?  It’s surprisingly simple (you probably have most of the ingredients in your own pantry):

Known as Uncle Eddie’s Vegan Cookies, these soft, chewy, and delicious cookies come in 7 flavors:

Chocolate Chip with Walnuts:  Made with organic wheat flour, evaporated cane juice, organic palm fruit oil, chocolate chips (organic cane sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and vanilla bean seeds), organic brown rice syrup, walnuts, vanilla extract, organic soy lecithin, organic molasses, baking soda, and sea salt.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip:  Made with organic wheat flour, organic peanut butter, organic evaporated cane juice, chocolate chips (organic cane sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and vanilla bean seeds), organic sustainably farmed palm fruit oil, organic brown rice syrup, organic soy lecithin, organic molasses, baking soda, seal salt, vanilla extract, and organic unsweetened cocoa.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip: Made with organic wheat flour, organic sustainably farmed palm fruit oil, organic oats, chocolate chips (organic cane sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and vanilla bean seeds), organic evaporated cane juice, organic brown rice syrup, organic molasses, organic unsweetened coconut, organic maple syrup, organic soy lecithin, baking soda, vanilla extract, sea salt, and organic cinnamon.

Oatmeal Raisin:  Made with organic wheat flour, organic sustainably farmed palm fruit oil, organic evaporated cane juice, organic oats, organic raisins, organic brown rice syrup, organic unsweetened coconut, organic molasses, organic soy lecithin, sea salt, baking soda, and vanilla extract.

Molasses:  Made with organic wheat flour, organic molasses, organic palm fruit oil, organic evaporated cane juice, organic soy lecithin, vanilla extract, organic unsweetened cocoa, baking soda, sea salt, organic cinnamon, and organic ginger.

Trail Mix:  Made with organic wheat flour, organic evaporated cane juice, organic raisins, peanuts, organic oats, organic sustainably farmed palm fruit oil, organic sunflower seeds, organic molasses, organic brown rice syrup, organic soy lecithin, sea salt, and baking soda.

Cocoa Spice and Everything Nice:  Made with organic wheat flour, organic palm fruit oil, organic evaporated cane juice, organic soy lecithin, organic cocoa, organic molasses, organic brown rice syrup, soy lecithin, vanilla extract, baking soda, sea salt, organic cinnamon, organic cloves, organic powdered sugar, and organic rice milk.

Sold in 12-ounce packages (about 12 cookies in each package), Uncle Eddie’s Vegan Cookies sell for about $6 at most Whole Foods Markets or purchase on-line directly from the company:  www.uncleeddiesvegancookies.com.